John Helfers is an author and editor currently living in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

During his sixteen years working at Tekno Books (the largest commercial book packager in the nation), he co-edited more than twenty short story anthologies, as well as overseeing many others for publishers in all genres. He has worked with many well-known authors and co-editors, including Lawrence Block, Larry Bond, Elizabeth George, Dale Brown, Stephen Coonts, Nelson DeMille, Charlaine Harris, John Jakes, Anne Perry, Jeffery Deaver, Michael Connelly, Walter J. Boyne, Harold W. Coyle, Mercedes Lackey, Margaret Weis, Kevin J. Anderson, Ice-T, Richard Belzer, and Max Allan Collins. He has also edited more than forty novels by such authors as Doug Allyn, Brendan DuBois, James Patrick Hunt, and Jean Rabe.

He has also published more than forty short stories in anthologies such as If I Were An Evil Overlord, Time Twisters, and Places to Be, People to Kill. His fiction has appeared in anthologies, game books, and novels for the Dragonlance®, Transformers®, BattleTech® and Shadowrun® universes. He has written both fiction and nonfiction, including the third novel in the first authorized trilogy based on The Twilight Zone™ television series, the YA novel Tom Clancy’s Net Force Explorers: Cloak and Dagger, and a history of the United States Navy. He also wrote three novels in the Room 59™ espionage series for Gold Eagle/Worldwide Publishing (including the launch book, The Powers That Be) and has written novels in their Deathlands™ and Mack Bolan/Executioner™ series.

His essays on the military have appeared in Beyond Shock and Awe, edited by U.S. Navy SEAL founder Eric Haney, and in the Civil War and World War II volumes of the How to Lose a War series. His most recent nonfiction book, The Vorkosigan Companion (co-edited with Lillian Stewart Carl) a guide to the science fictional world of award-winning author Lois McMaster Bujold, was nominated for a 2009 Hugo Award. In 2010, the original Shadowrun anthology Spells & Chrome won the Origins Award for Best Game-Related Publication. He’s also appeared on writing and editorial panels at national conventions, including GenCon, Love Is Murder, and the World Science Fiction Convention.

Currently he’s working on several tie-in and original projects in both the adult and YA genres. He also operates Stonehenge Art & Word, an editorial and literary fiction management company, which has worked with Mercedes Lackey on her first Elemental Masters shared-world anthology.

Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of over 55 novels, including I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron. He's won awards in the realms of podcasting, game designer, computer game design, screenwriting, editing, graphic novel writing and novel writing. He lives in Arizona and frequently travels the United States attending conventions and teaching writing workshops. His website is www.stormwolf.com and his Patreon page is patreon.com/michaelastackpole

Bradley P. Beaulieu began writing his first fantasy novel in college, but in the way of these things, it was set aside as life intervened. As time went on, though, Brad realized that his love of writing and telling tales wasn't going to just slink quietly into the night. The drive to write came back full force in the early 2000s, at which point Brad dedicated himself to the craft, writing several novels and learning under the guidance of writers like Nancy Kress, Joe Haldeman, Tim Powers, Holly Black, Michael Swanwick, Kij Johnson, and many more.

Brad and his novels have garnered many accolades and most anticipated lists, including two Hotties--the Debut of the Year and Best New Voice--on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist, a Gemmell Morningstar Award nomination for The Winds of Khalakovo and more:

* 25 Best of 2015 lists for Twelve Kings in Sharakhai

* 2016 Gemmell Legend Award Nomination for Twelve Kings in Sharakhai

* Top Ten Book and Debut of the Year for 2011 on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist for The Winds of Khalakovo

* Best New Voice of 2011 on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

* 2011 Gemmell Morningstar Award Nomination for The Winds of Khalakovo

* Top Ten Debut for The Winds of Khalakovo on Ranting Dragon's Best of 2011

* Top Ten Debut for The Winds of Khalakovo on Mad Hatter's Best of 2011

* Honorable Mention for The Winds of Khalakovo on LEC Reviews Best of 2011

* Top Five Book for 2012 on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist for The Straits of Galahesh

* 2012 Most Anticipated for The Straits of Galahesh on Staffer's Book Review

* 2012 Most Anticipated for The Straits of Galahesh on The Ranting Dragon

* 2013 Most Anticipated for The Flames of Shadam Khoreh on The Ranting Dragon

In addition to being an L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Award winner, Brad's stories have appeared in various other publications, including Realms of Fantasy Magazine, Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, Writers of the Future 20, and several anthologies from DAW Books. His story, "In the Eyes of the Empress's Cat," was voted a Notable Story of 2006 in the Million Writers Award.

Brad continues to work on his next projects, including an Arabian Nights epic fantasy and a Norse-inspired middle grade series. He also runs the highly successful science fiction and fantasy podcast, Speculate, which can be found at speculatesf.com.

Novels

THE SONG OF THE SHATTERED SANDS

* Of Sand and Malice Made

* Twelve Kings in Sharakhai

* With Blood Upon the Sand

* A Veil of Spears

THE LAYS OF ANUSKAYA

* The Winds of Khalakovo

* The Straits of Galahesh

* The Flames of Shadam Khoreh

Short Story Collections

* Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories

Novellas

* The Burning Light (with Rob Ziegler)

* Strata (with Stephen Gaskell)

* Irindai

Novelettes

* "To the Towers of Tulandan", a Lays of Anuskaya story. First printed in Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories.

* "Unearthed", a Bryndlholt story. First printed in Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories.

* "Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten". First printed in Realms of Fantasy Magazine.

* "From the Spices of Sanandira". First printed in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

* "Foretold". First printed in Steampunk'd by DAW Books.

* "How Peacefully the Desert Sleeps". First printed in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

* "Cirque Du Lumière". First printed in Fellowship Fantastic by DAW Books.

Short Stories

* "Prima", a Lays of Anuskaya story. First printed in Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories.

* "In the Eyes of the Empress's Cat". First printed in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

* "Sweet as Honey". First printed in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

* "Shadows in the Mirrors". First printed in Dimensions Next Door by DAW Books.

* "Parting the Clouds". First printed in Time-Traveled Tales.

* "An Instrument of War". First printed in Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories.

* "Flotsam". First printed in Writers of the Future XX.

* "Prey to the Gods". First printed in Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories.

* "A Trade of Shades". First printed in Alien Skin Magazine.

* "Good Morning Heartache". First printed in Spells in the City by DAW Books.

Contact Information

Website: www.quillings.com

Podcast: www.speculatesf.com

Twitter: @bbeaulieu

Facebook: facebook.com/bradley.p.beaulieu

Jason M. Hardy is a science fiction and fantasy writer from Chicago. He is currently the line developer for the popular Shadowrun role-playing game. He loves good books, games, the Cubs, and other things that would make this list unacceptably long. In various "about the author" paragraphs, he has claimed to be a time-traveler, a Broadway choreographer, a master seducer, a creepy, isolated hermit, and more. Which means this paragraph is the most straightforward autobiography he has ever written.

Marc Tassin is the creator of Aetaltis and the author of more than a dozen published short stories. His stories have appeared in a number of anthologies, including titles from DAW Books. Marc has also written for video games and role-playing games, with work appearing in products from Shadowrun and Dragon Magazine.